Korean Pop Music Out To Conquer The World

Korean Pop Music Out To Conquer The World Members of K-Pop idol group Girls' Generation perform during the Korean Pop Culture and Art Awards at the Olympic Hall in Seoul November 21, 2011. By Mike Collett-White LONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - A host of young Korean stars are taking to the stage in London, New York and beyond in a bid to crack one of the final global frontiers for Asian culture -- pop music. "K-pop," as Korean pop is called, has made major inroads into Japan, the world's second largest music market. But breaking into key countries further afield like Britain, Germany, France and, most crucially, the United States, has so far eluded acts who may be household names at home but remain virtual unknowns outside Asia. Korean bands are not the only ones trying to be the next Britney Spears, Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber. Japanese artists, some of them "J-pop" superstars, have also looked overseas for new audiences, although the size of their own market, only just behind the United States in the world rankings, means they have less incentive. "It is a pain for a lot of these Japanese bands to make the effort to try and penetrate overseas markets," said Steve McClure, executive editor of McClure's Asia Music News and an authority on the region's music scene. "Time spent doing that is time not spent here and it's a really fast-paced market and you have to work at it," he told Reuters, speaking from Japan. Foreign music accounts for around a quarter of Japanese record sales, and the top 10 albums on record are all by local artists. Hikaru Utada holds the record with "First Love" from 1999, while Mariah Carey is the biggest international artist. K-POP VS. J-POP McClure, like many others, believes that K-pop stands a better chance at success globally than J-pop, although even that is far from certain. The structure of Korea's relatively small music market is such that telecom companies control a large proportion of revenues, he said, meaning bands have an economic incentive to look abroad. And K-pop acts, often created and nurtured by savvy record companies like S.M. Entertainment, are being groomed for specific markets -- learning Japanese, for example, and fitting in with Japan's musical mores. One recent success story has been the nine-member South Korean girl band Girls' Generation, whose first full-length Japanese album sold over 500,000 copies in Japan. McClure also argued that Korean pop acts, though often manufactured, were generally more professional than their Japanese rivals and produced a better sound. The most obvious, and biggest barrier to Asian acts breaking regions like Europe and North America is language. Since music is about communicating ideas and feelings, common language helps. And the prevalence of English makes it easier for a singer from Toronto, for example, than one from Tokyo. "The language barrier is probably the biggest thing that sets us apart from the global (arena)," said G.NA, a 24-year-old Canadian-Korean singer whose first language is English but who has found success in Korea. She, along with two other K-pop acts, will be appearing at London's 02 Academy Brixton on December 5 as part of what the PR company handling the gig called "The Invasion of K-Pop." It follows a K-pop concert at New York's Madison Square Garden in October. Those and other similar gigs outside Asia underline the ambition of K-pop acts and management companies to conquer the West and beyond. It may be less invasion and more a small-scale foray, but promoters say there are encouraging signs for K-pop. "We can't spend too much money if there is no market for us," said Ronnie Yang, head of CABA Entertainment who is organizing the London gig featuring artists from Cube Entertainment. "But we feel this is the right stage for developing a new market -- there is demand and it is higher than before." G.NA, for one, is not getting lost in the hype. Chance, she says, is as important as anything else. "This industry is kind of like gambling," she told Reuters by telephone from Seoul. "You lose something, and you may lose everything. You may win and win more than expected. I think there's a lot of luck. "It does depend on how much we try, but no matter how hard we try, if the circumstances don't work out, then things may not work out the way we planned. This concert is huge -- if people don't like it that could be the end of that." "GENRE-SPECIFIC" The wide pop genre may be the hardest market to crack abroad, but there has been success in the United States and elsewhere within narrower categories of music like classical, dance, rock and heavy metal. Japanese heavy metal band X Japan staged a North American tour in 2010 catching the attention of major news outlets, and have visited Europe, Latin America and Asia this year. L'Arc-en-Ciel, a Japanese rock group, has flirted with the United States and Europe, and plans a 2012 world tour. The event is limited in scale so far, however, with seven dates showing on the website including indigO2 in London with a capacity of around 2,500. The band's guitarist Ken alluded to a cultural barrier which has proven tough to break down. "In Japan I am always listening to music from the U.S. and the UK," he told Reuters by telephone, speaking through a translator. "But I never really got the impression people in the UK were listening to music from other parts of the world. So I'm really looking forward to getting a sense of how those people in Britain will perceive our music." McClure added: "Music is meant to be the universal language...well, yes and no. "There does seem to be this inability to accept an Asian face in the world pop music market place. I don't know why that is, as there are Asians who have done well in other spheres."

Bukti keampuhan automotif Jepun

RAKYAT Jepun tidak pernah gagal untuk bangkit. Contoh paling klasik adalah bagaimana negara itu mampu menjadi salah sebuah kuasa ekonomi dunia, biarpun Hisroshima dan Nagasaki hampir lumat dibedil bom atom Amerika Syarikat (AS) pada Perang Dunia Kedua pada tahun 1945.

Jepun juga tidak pernah sunyi daripada berdepan bencana alam. Berada dalam lingkungan Lingkaran Api Pasifik, negara matahari terbit itu sering digegar oleh gempa bumi berskala tinggi. Kemuncaknya, 11 Mac lalu bahagian timur negara berkenaan dilanda gempa bumi dan tsunami.

Impaknya meliputi segala aspek. Loji nuklear Fukushima Daiichi musnah dibadai tsunami, sekali gus mencetus krisis nuklear dan tenaga. Selaku rumah kepada banyak syarikat pengeluar kenderaan utama dunia, bencana itu nyata mengganggu rantaian bekalan alat ganti. Akibatnya, jumlah pengilangan automobil Jepun menjunam.

Bagi wartawan pemotoran seperti saya, antara persoalan yang timbul adakah Jepun akan membatalkan acara pemotoran pentingnya iaitu Tokyo Motor Show 2011 (TMS). TMS yang merupakan acara dwitahunan biasanya dilangsungkan pada bulan Oktober.

Selepas beberapa ketika berada dalam ketidaktentuan, akhirnya penganjur acara tersebut, Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) mengesahkan bahawa TMS 2011 akan berlangsung bermula 2 hingga 11 Disember depan.

Tidak keterlaluan jika dikatakan bahawa penganjuran TMS membuktikan komitmen industri pemotoran Jepun untuk pulih. Malah, pengeluaran kenderaannya berjaya dipulihkan dalam masa yang singkat.

SEORANG model keluar daripada jentera elektrik sepenuhnya, Nissan Pivo 3.

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Pengerusi JAMA, Toshiyuki Shiga menegaskan pihaknya akan menganjurkan TMS yang sudah memasuki edisi ke-42 sebagaimana dirancang. “Kami yakin TMS akan membuktikan kepada semua tentang daya pemulihan industri perkilangan automotif Jepun,” jelas Shiga.

Tokyo Big Sight

Jika sebelum ini TMS sering diadakan di dewan pusat konvensyen Makuhari Messe, Chiba, tahun 2011 menyaksikan lokasinya diubah ke Tokyo Big Sight, Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Jepun, sekali lagi selepas 24 tahun. Ruang seluas 3,265 meter persegi itu akan menempatkan 176 pempamer dari 12 buah negara dan satu rantau.

Apa yang pasti, ia jauh lebih gah berbanding TMS 2009 yang ketika itu baru merangkak untuk bangkit daripada kemelesetan ekonomi dunia.

Harus diakui juga bahawa pertumbuhan pesat automobil di pasaran besar seperti China dan India sedikit sebanyak mengalih perhatian dunia kepada pameran sama yang diadakan di Beijing, Shanghai dan New Delhi.

Justeru, TMS 2011 yang menjadi simbol kuasa teknologi Jepun perlu bertindak selaku sumber maklumat berkaitan teknologi automobil, bandar dan pengguna. Dengan hasrat menjadi pameran automotif berteknologi termaju, TMS 2011 mengangkat tema Bandar Mobiliti Pintar atau Smart Mobility City.

KENDERAAN masa depan yang comel dan mesra alam, Nissan Townpod.

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Tema itu sekali gus akan mempamerkan kenderaan generasi akan datang (tahun 2040 - 2050) dan sistem-sistem sosial yang berinteraksi dengannya. Ia jua menunjukkan tentang peranan dan tanggungjawab industri automotif di sebalik kebimbangan terhadap isu tenaga serta alam sekitar di peringkat global.

Pengenalan Dunia

Jadi, apa yang boleh anda jangkakan daripada TMS 2011? Sebanyak 52 pengenalan dunia (world premiere) dan 82 penampilan pertama untuk pasaran Jepun akan mengambil tempat di sana.

Untuk tatapan anda, saya telah memilih beberapa pengeluar kenderaan utama Jepun dan apa yang mereka akan pamerkan pada TMS 2011 secara ringkas.

Honda membariskan model-model konsep yang direka untuk keseronokan dan kemudahan mobiliti. Tidak terkecuali, satu model konsep sports yang memberi petunjuk tentang arah rekabentuk model-model masa depannya.

Honda membahagikan model konsepnya kepada tiga kategori iaitu kereta yang terdiri daripada Small Sports EV Concept, AC-X dan Micro Commuter Concept. Sementara model konsep motosikal pula meliputi model Motor Compo, E-Canopy dan RC-E. bukan itu sahaja, Honda turut memperkenalkan model konsep komuter yang diberi nama Townwalker.

MODEL yang diberi nama Townwalker ini dibina untuk memudahkan golongan warga emas bergerak.

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Pengeluar itu juga bakal memperkenalkan N Concept, siri kenderaan kecil yang memberi penekanan terhadap ruang. Produksi pertama model daripada siri itu ialah N BOX. Jentera-jentera lain yang turut dipamerkan ialah Accord, Insight, Jazz dan CR-Z.

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. akan mengetengahkan kenderaan baharu, prototaip dan tiga kereta konsep. Antara model yang pasti mendapat perhatian ialah model konsep EV iaitu Pivo 3, Esflow dan Townpod. NV350 merupakan model prototaip van komersial ringan penuh gaya.

Toyota pula bakal memperkenalkan kepada dunia model konsep Fun-Vii (Fun Vehicle interactive internet), FCV-R (Fuel Cell Vehicle - Reality & Revolution) dan FT-EV III (Future Toyota - Electric Vehicle III).

Memberi fokus kepada untuk memenuhi keperluan pengguna kontemporari, Suzuki mempamerkan kereta-kereta kompaknya. Antara model yang boleh ditatap oleh pengunjung ialah Regina, Q-Concept dan Swift EV Hybrid.

Mitsubishi juga tidak ketinggalan untuk mempamerkan kemajuan teknologinya dalam menghasilkan kenderaan elektrik. Pengunjung akan dihidangkan dengan model konsep seperti Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV dan i-MiEV Cargo.

Drogba to quit Chelsea after snubbing new deal

DEAL ME OUT ... veteran Blues' hitman Drogba

DIDIER DROGBA is ready to walk away from Chelsea after rejecting a January move to AC Milan.

The striker, 33, is in the final season of his £120,000-a-week contract and has turned down a 12-month extension.

Now he is poised to quit Stamford Bridge as a free agent next summer for a lucrative switch to Russia or Qatar.

Drogba's agent Thierno Seydi, based in Senegal, claimed last night: "Didier has had the offer of a one-year extension from Chelsea. That does not suit us.

"We know what we want, where we want to go and what offers we have.

"AC Milan came in for Didier on loan with an option to buy but I said 'No' straight away. Their offer did not interest us.

"At Didier's age, he has nothing left to prove as a player. He will go where he is offered the most money.

"It could be the United States, Russia, Qatar or somewhere else in Asia.

"Once you are well into your thirties you have to go to a club where you can be certain you'll be able to pay your bills.

"LA Galaxy are a possibility among many others. He has been linked with Anzhi Makhachkala in Russia, as they pay well.

"But neither Didier nor I have had an offer from them."

Drogba was signed by Jose Mourinho from Marseille for £24million back in 2004 and has scored 146 goals in his seven years at Chelsea.

News of Drogba's impending departure comes as former Blues favourite Marcel Desailly claims the club is being torn apart under Andre Villas-Boas by dressing-room cliques.

The World Cup-winning Frenchman said: "There are quite a few mini-clans at the club.

"The squad is exploding and people who could hold things together in the past are having to deal with personal worries. You sense total disorganisation at Chelsea right now. It is collectively falling apart."

Kenderaan baharu teroka Marikh

GAMBAR yang tidak bertarikh menunjukkan beberapa juruteknik memerhatikan kenderaan Curiosity di Makmal NASA di Pasadena, California.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Amerika Syarikat (AS) - Pentadbiran Aeronautik dan Angkasa Lepas Kebangsaan (NASA) mendedahkan kenderaan baharu sebesar sebuah kereta yang akan meneroka planet Marikh.

Kenderaan itu yang diberi nama Curiosity mempunyai lengan sepanjang dua meter dan dilengkapi laser untuk memusnahkan batu di planet tersebut.

"Ini ialah mesin impian saintis Marikh," kata timbalan ketua projek saintis Marikh di NASA, Ashwin Vasavada.

Kenderaan itu bernilai AS$2.5 bilion (RM7.94 bilion) dan ia akan bergerak ke kawasan yang mempunyai organik dan karbon di Marikh pada Ogos tahun depan.

Kenderaan itu membawa seberat 4.8 kilogram plutonium yang boleh menjana kuasa selama dua tahun di Marikh.

Ia sepanjang dua meter, lebar sembilan meter dan setinggi dua meter. - Agensi

Katil tempat Jackson mati tak akan dijual

GAMBAR yang dirakamkan pada 7 November lalu menunjukkan katil tempat Michael Jackson meninggal dunia di rumahnya di Los Angeles, California.

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LOS ANGELES, Amerika Syarikat (AS) - Katil tempat penyanyi terkenal, Michael Jackson meninggal dunia pada 25 Jun 2009 tidak akan dijual dalam satu acara lelongan pada 17 Disember depan.

Lelongan berkenaan menampilkan barang-barang dari sebuah rumah yang disewa oleh Raja Pop itu di sini.

Firma lelongan Julien menarik balik katil tersebut daripada senarai lelongan barangan dari rumah beralamat 100 N. Carolwood Drive di sini yang merupakan kediaman terakhir Jackson sebelum kematiannya.

Presiden firma berkenaan, Darren Julien menyatakan kelmarin bahawa hanya kepala katil berkenaan sepatutnya dijual dalam lelongan itu.

"Namun atas permintaan Estet Michael Jackson, kami menarik balik kepala katil ini daripada lelongan yang akan diadakan pada 17 Disember depan," kata Julien.

"Sebelum ini cuma kepala katil ini yang berada dalam senarai lelongan, bahagian-bahagian lain katil berkenaan bukan untuk dijual," tambahnya. - Agensi

2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Ford has announced the launch of a record-breaking V8 engine, debuting in the Shelby GT500 this week, ahead of its Los Angeles Auto Show debut.

The new 2013 Ford Shelby GT 500 contains a 5.8-liter supercharged V8 producing 650 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque, making it (by Ford’s reckoning) the most powerful production V8 engine in the world.

The model boasts a top speed of more than 200 mph (320 km/h), helped by its 3,850-pound light weight and a six-speed manual transmission, with Ford’s high-performance SVT team individually tuning nearly every vehicle system for power.

One of the principal modifications is a larger, more efficient supercharger that helps to create the 650 hp, along with a new cooling system to relieve the 5.8-liter engine.

Ford has also fitted a launch control system to optimize launch traction depending on surface and temperature and fitted the car with Brembo brakes, with a package allowing the addition of SVT-designed Bilstein electronc adjustable dampeners.

The model will be on show, alongside its nemesis, the redesigned Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, at the Los Angeles Auto Show, which opens to the public November 18.

Yellow Sun-Drop diamond sells for $11 million

A 110-carat yellow jewel called the Sun Drop Diamond, thought the biggest of its kind in the world, sold for a record 10 million francs ($10.9 million) at auction in Geneva.

The gem was discovered in South Africa in 2010 and wowed visitors to London’s Natural History Museum where it was dispalyed earlier this year.

“It’s an absolute record for a yellow diamond,” Sotheby’s David Bennett told journalists after the sale. “It is a spectacular, unique stone.”

The sale price was slightly less than the estimations of experts who had valued the yellow diamond at between 11 and 15 million dollars.

Gemologists have certified the pear-shaped jewel as “Fancy Vivid Yellow”, the rarest and most desirable colour for a yellow diamond, Sotheby’s said.

The yellow diamond, about the size of a woman’s thumb, takes its colour from traces of nitrogen in its carbon makeup.

Following its discovery the gem was cut in New York by US diamond company Cora International and spent a number of months on public display .

“Every time we’ve shown it around the world, people have gone ‘oh my god’,” Bennett, head of jewellery for Europe and the Middle East, told AFP last week.

“It has never been owned so the buyer will be the first person to wear it,” said the expert.

Beyonce dapat RM359,000 satu minit

LOS ANGELES: Penyanyi Beyonce Knowles dinamakan sebagai penghibur yang menerima bayaran paling tinggi di dunia yang mengenakan bayaran mengikut setiap minit kemunculan beliau di pentas.

Penyanyi Love on Top itu mengungguli satu kajian pendapat halaman web media sosial saucytime.com dengan memperoleh £1.25 juta (RM6.3 juta) bagi persembahan yang membabitkan nyanyian lima buah lagu pada satu majlis persendirian sambutan Tahun Baru 2010, yang menyamai pendapatan sebanyak £71,040 (RM359,000) bagi setiap minit persembahan beliau di pentas, lapor femalefirs.co.uk.

Tempat kedua adalah penyanyi Mariah Carey yang menerima bayaran £630,000 (RM3.2 juta) bagi satu persembahan membabitkan nyanyian empat buah lagu di sebuah parti yang sama diadakan tahun sebelumnya di kepulauan Caribbean yang sama.

Penyanyi yang menduduki tempat ketiga pula adalah Kylie Minogue yang dibayar sebanyak £33,000 (RM166,00) bagi setiap 60 saat. Beliau menyanyi di sebuah majlis pelancaran di Hotel Atlantis, Dubai pada November 2008.

Ia diikuti Jennifer Lopez yang menerima bayaran hampir £25,000 (RM126,000) seminit dari seorang jutawan Russia, Andrei Meinichenko ketika muncul di majlis sambutan hari jadi isterinya pada 2007.

Sementara itu, Beyonce dikatakan terus membangkitkan tanda tanya mengenai kebenaran mengenai berita kehamilan beliau ketika muncul dalam persembahan Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.

Penyanyi berkenaan mempersembahkan single terbarunya, Countdown dalam rancangan berkenaan tetapi perutnya tidak kelihatan seperti sedang hamil.
Ketika pengacara memperkenalkan kemunculan penyanyi itu, beliau mengenakan baju singkat hitam dan langsung tidak kelihatan seperti hamil enam bulan seperti yang didakwa.

Bagaimanapun penyanyi berusia 30 tahun itu sebenarnya muncul melalui persembahan yang dirakamkan lebih awal ketika musim panas lalu.

Penonton jelas tidak menyedari bahawa Fallon menjadikan bintang Amerika Syarikat itu seperti benar-benar berada di studio berkenaan. Ketika pengacara menunjukkan album terkini penyanyi itu beliau memandang kamera sambil berkata: “Malam ini dia di sini untuk mempersembahkan lagu Countdown dari album terkininya, Four. Dipersilakan Benyonce.”

Penonton di studio kemudian bersorak dan mula memberikan tepukan kepada seseorang yang sebenarnya tidak berada di sana. – Agensi

Electric Rolls-Royce Phantom 102EX

Luxury car maler Rolls-Royce has developed its first electric-powered vehicle, that goes up to 125 miles fully charged.

The one-off Phantom 102EX has been touring the globe to gauge the reactions of Rolls-Royce owners and potential customers to a fully electric-powered car.

The 6.75-liter V-12 was replaced by a massive 71-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery housed within the aluminum spaceframe.

“We have engineered the world’s first battery electric vehicle for the ultra-luxury segment,” chief executive Torsten Muller-Otvos said in a statement.

“We begin an exploration into alternative drive-trains, seeking clarity on which alternative technologies may be suitable to drive Rolls-Royce cars of the future.”

The company wants to ascertain how long the car can drive between re-charges and how it operates in extreme weather conditions, but there are no plans yet to develop a production version.

“I must be convinced that any alternative drive-train we choose for the future delivers an authentic Rolls-Royce experience,” Muller-Otvos said.

“It must be a technology that is right for our customers, our brand and which sets us on a sound footing for a sustainable future.”

Penari bogel laris di Singapura

PENARI bogel separuh masa, Bryan Tan menunjukkan kostumnya di sebuah apartmen di Singapura kelmarin.

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SINGAPURA – Khidmat penari bogel mendapat permintaan tinggi di Singapura walaupun aktiviti tersebut menyalahi undang-undang negara.

Sungguhpun polis mempunyai kuasa menyerbu mana-mana tempat termasuk kediaman persendirian yang disyaki menjalankan aktiviti tidak senonoh itu, ia gagal menghalang penari-penari bogel Singapura daripada mengiklankan perkhidmatan mereka.

Kebiasaannya para penari bogel di Singapura terdiri daripada pekerja kolar putih berusia dalam lingkungan 20-an.

Mereka menjadi penari eksotik selepas waktu pejabat untuk memenuhi permintaan golongan heteroseksual dan juga gay di pulau berkenaan.

Pemilik agensi hiburan tempatan 2niteok Entertainment, Bryan Tan yang menjadi penari bogel selama lapan tahun berkata, perkhidmatan tarian itu mendapat permintaan tinggi kalangan penduduk pulau berkenaan.

“Tarian bogel adalah biasa di Barat tetapi kini ia semakin digemari di Singapura,” kata Tan yang bekerja sebagai pegawai pentadbiran pada waktu siang.

Menurut laman web syarikatnya, caj untuk melanggani tarian separa bogel ialah Sg$300 (RM736) untuk persembahan selama 20 minit manakala bayaran Sg$400 (RM981) dikenakan untuk tarian bogel sepenuhnya.

Bagi penari bogel wanita pula, mereka biasanya memakai coli dan seluar dalam semasa melakukan persembahan.

“Lelaki lebih gemar melihat wanita memakai pakaian berbanding berbogel sepenuhnya,” kata seorang eksekutif wanita, Jasmine Tan, 28, yang menjadi penari bogel untuk tiga atau empat kali sebulan.

Rata-rata penari bogel di sini merahsiakan pekerjaan sampingan mereka daripada keluarga kerana budaya masyarakat Singapura yang masih konservatif. – AFP